CHAPTER 162
High above the battlefield, Ōnoki was being battered relentlessly without even the slightest opportunity to fight back.
His Stone Armor shattered.
It reformed.
Then shattered once again.
Ōnoki clenched his teeth as the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth.
"This madman..."
His Chakra reserves were rapidly dwindling, yet his thoughts raced frantically.
"That forbidden Lightning Release state is forcefully amplifying his power."
"It definitely can't last long!"
"As long as I can endure..."
Bang!
White Fang's fist crashed into his face once again.
The overwhelming force distorted Ōnoki's cheek as the Stone Armor protecting it exploded into fragments.
Two teeth flew from his mouth together with a spray of blood.
"As long as I can endure..."
Bang!
Another kick landed viciously against his ribs.
Although Stone Armor absorbed part of the impact, the unmistakable sound of ribs fracturing echoed through his body.
Ōnoki immediately felt two more ribs snap.
Agonizing pain spread throughout his body.
"As long..."
Bang!
White Fang's knee, wrapped in violent Lightning Release Chakra, slammed into his chest like a giant battering ram.
The Stone Armor covering his torso exploded completely.
The terrifying impact penetrated directly into his internal organs.
Ōnoki spat out another mouthful of blood mixed with tiny fragments of tissue.
His vision darkened.
His consciousness began drifting.
A sharp ringing filled his ears.
"No..."
"I can't hold on..."
For the very first time...
A terrifying thought surfaced inside Ōnoki's mind.
"If this continues..."
"I'll die."
He had lived for more than sixty years.
He had followed the Second Tsuchikage.
Inherited the title of Tsuchikage.
Led Iwagakure through countless wars.
He had experienced more battles than most Shinobi could ever imagine.
Never...
Had he imagined dying like this.
He was the Third Tsuchikage.
Ōnoki of Both Scales.
One of the Kage standing at the pinnacle of the Shinobi World.
Yet now...
Death had become frighteningly real.
The one armed man before him...
Wrapped entirely in white lightning...
Showed no anger.
No hatred.
Only absolute killing intent.
Sakumo Hatake truly intended to kill him.
"I have to widen the distance!"
His instinct to survive overwhelmed every other thought.
Ōnoki endured another crushing elbow strike.
His body was blasted backward once more.
Yet during that brief instant...
Using every remaining fragment of consciousness...
His hands barely completed one final set of hand seals.
"Earth Release: Mountain Earth Technique!"
"BOOOOOOM!!!"
The ground beneath both sides of the battlefield trembled violently.
Two enormous hemispherical masses of stone, each spanning dozens of meters, erupted from the earth.
Accompanied by deafening roars...
The gigantic rock formations slammed toward one another.
Their target...
Was the space occupied by both Ōnoki and White Fang.
Mountain Earth Technique.
A powerful Earth Release sealing technique that imprisoned its target by crushing them between two gigantic stone masses.
Under normal circumstances...
Its purpose was to seal an opponent.
But now...
Ōnoki couldn't even keep track of White Fang's movements.
There was no chance of accurately trapping him.
So...
He chose another option.
He would seal himself.
Those two incomparably thick stone masses would become his final defensive barrier.
If White Fang insisted on pursuing him...
They would both become trapped inside.
If White Fang retreated...
Ōnoki would finally gain precious time to recover.
Even White Fang hadn't expected such a desperate move.
His advance paused ever so slightly.
He chose not to continue pressing forward.
His offensive strength had reached a terrifying level.
But defense had never been his greatest strength.
If he became trapped inside Mountain Earth Technique...
Escaping would become extremely troublesome.
White lightning immediately withdrew.
Boom!!!
The two gigantic hemispheres collided perfectly.
They merged into one seamless stone sphere more than fifty meters across.
It resembled a newly formed hill rising abruptly from the battlefield.
Ōnoki disappeared completely within it.
White lightning descended from the sky.
White Fang landed silently atop the massive stone sphere.
The violent lightning surrounding his body gradually weakened.
His eyes remained calm.
Yet his face had become even paler than before.
Ōnoki's earlier judgment hadn't been wrong.
This forbidden state...
One that burned both Chakra and life force...
Could not be maintained indefinitely.
Even White Fang's body had reached its limit.
If Ōnoki simply hid inside this giant stone shell...
Even White Fang had no immediate solution.
Forcing his way through such an enormous mass of stone would consume precious time.
And time...
Was exactly what he lacked.
Inside the gigantic stone sphere...
Everything was pitch black.
Only the sound of Ōnoki's heavy breathing echoed throughout the enclosed space.
His entire body was covered in blood.
The left arm White Fang had slashed earlier remained completely numb.
Now his right leg also throbbed with unbearable pain.
It had likely suffered serious injuries.
He had no idea how many ribs were broken.
Every breath felt as though knives were cutting through his chest.
His body trembled uncontrollably.
Two consecutive Dust Release techniques...
Constantly maintaining Stone Armor...
Then casting Mountain Earth Technique...
Had almost completely exhausted his Chakra.
Still...
He had finally secured a brief moment to breathe.
"What a lunatic..."
Leaning against the cold stone wall, Ōnoki struggled to breathe.
"But..."
"At least I'm safe for now."
A small sense of relief surfaced within him.
Then...
His expression changed once more.
What about the battlefield outside?
White Fang wouldn't simply stop.
What if he vented all that murderous intent upon the ordinary Iwagakure Shinobi?
Although Iwagakure still possessed six thousand troops...
Without him...
Who could possibly stop the current White Fang?
Especially...
Kitsuchi.
His son remained on the battlefield.
"What if White Fang targets Kitsuchi?"
Ōnoki's expression became incomparably ugly.
Had he not deliberately targeted Asuma Sarutobi with Dust Release to lure White Fang into sacrificing his arm...
Perhaps White Fang would never intentionally target Kitsuchi.
But now...
He had already crossed that line.
An eye for an eye.
A tooth for a tooth.
If their positions were reversed...
Would he spare the enemy's son?
The answer was obvious.
Determination flashed across Ōnoki's face.
He couldn't continue hiding forever.
He had to leave.
He had to regroup with the Iwagakure army.
Only by relying on his subordinates' protection and overwhelming numbers could he possibly stall White Fang until this forbidden state ended.
"Kitsuchi..."
"Just hold on a little longer..."
Suppressing the searing pain throughout his body, Ōnoki prepared to use Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique.
He intended to quietly escape underground before rejoining his forces.
Boom!!!
A dull yet thunderous impact suddenly echoed from directly above.
Immediately afterward...
The entire gigantic stone sphere shook violently.
Dust and gravel rained from the ceiling.
Ōnoki's pupils shrank instantly.
"White Fang..."
"He's attacking the sphere itself?"
"Trying to break Mountain Earth Technique?!"
His expression froze.
Then...
An unexpectedly complicated look appeared in his eyes.
There was even...
A trace of admiration.
"Konoha's White Fang..."
"You truly deserve your reputation..."
Faced with a forbidden state that couldn't last forever...
Faced with an enemy who had chosen absolute defense...
White Fang had selected the simplest method.
The most direct method.
And...
The most honorable one.
Break through everything with overwhelming force.
Ōnoki refused to believe someone with White Fang's battle intelligence couldn't think of another solution.
He could have slaughtered Iwagakure's forces.
He could have targeted Kitsuchi.
He could have forced him out through threats.
Yet...
White Fang chose none of those methods.
Instead...
He challenged the Mountain Earth Technique head on.
Despite having just been beaten into such a miserable state...
Despite nearly losing his life...
Ōnoki couldn't help admiring his opponent.
Then...
His heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Admiration was admiration.
Reality was reality.
Mountain Earth Technique possessed tremendous defensive power.
But...
It absolutely could not withstand White Fang forever.
That lunatic outside...
Every single strike possessed the terrifying power to split mountains apart.
Once White Fang broke through...
Ōnoki had absolutely no desire to continue being beaten like before.
Ignoring the intense pain wracking his body...
He immediately began sprinting at full speed through the interior of the giant stone sphere.
He couldn't remain in one place.
He had to widen the distance from White Fang as much as possible.
At the same time...
He desperately circulated what little Chakra remained.
Continuously strengthening and repairing the section of stone under attack.
Boom!!
Another terrifying impact struck.
The entire stone sphere shook violently once again.
Visible cracks had already spread across the upper wall.
Ōnoki's face turned pale.
Anxiety filled his eyes.
"I have to get out..."
"And quickly!"
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